(Photo credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images)
IRVINE, Calif. -- The long-awaited World Cup opener on home soil Friday promises to contain deep shades of red, white and blue for the United States men's national team.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino might be from Argentina and goal-producing forward Folarin Balogun grew up in England after he was born in New York City, but star playmaker Christian Pulisic does hail from the All-American chocolate bar-producing town of Hershey, Pa.
The home fans are ready to embrace all of it when the USMNT takes on Paraguay to kick off Group D play Friday night in search of a sweet result. It will be the first World Cup match on U.S. soil in 32 years, when the 1994 Final was played just up the road in Pasadena.
It was another eight years of waiting after the joint hosting bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico was accepted.
The 26-man USMNT squad selected by Pochettino is evenly divided between 13 players with previous World Cup experience and 13 first-timers. And yet even those who have been there before know this one will be different.
'You say it's not our first rodeo, but it's our first one on home soil. So it kind of is our first rodeo,' captain Tim Ream said. '... I've tried to tell guys and convey the message in the media that this is a once-in-a-career opportunity. With that comes more expectation, more pressure, but at the same time, we have to enjoy it. There's nobody putting more expectation, more pressure on us than ourselves. That's the way that it should be.'
Ream, 38, is the only member of the team who remembers the 1994 World Cup. Goalkeeper Matt Turner, who was born during that summer's event, was the only other player alive at the time.
That World Cup was a watershed moment for U.S. soccer. The Americans made it out of the group stage for the first time since 1934, inspiring a generation of young Americans in what was the second of six straight World Cup appearances after a 40-year absence between 1950 and 1990.
Pochettino, who played in the 2002 World Cup for Argentina and previously managed club teams Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, was tapped for his vast experience. He was hired in September of 2024 with the goal of maximizing the team's potential in front of the home fans.
While the build-up to the World Cup has been rocky at times, there are signs the squad is hitting its stride. The U.S. defeated Senegal 3-2 on May 31 in Charlotte and were competitive in a 2-1 loss to four-time World Cup champion Germany in the final friendly Saturday at Chicago.
'Overall, I think it was a good performance. I'm happy with the performance of everyone,' Pochettino said. 'We played one of the most important teams in the world. I think we need to be happy with that. We competed (and were) unlucky. I think it was an even game, similar stats.'
The USMNT open with an opponent they know well. The Americans claimed a 2-1 friendly win over Paraguay last November at Chester, Pa., in a scrappy match that drew six yellow cards and a red to Paraguay's Omar Alderete after a brawl broke out in the closing minutes.
The expansion to 48 teams in this year's World Cup benefited Paraguay, who are competing in their first World Cup since 2010. That team made the deepest run in the country's history, advancing to the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Spain.
Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro is not shying away from what this return means.
'I know what this country feels. I know what 16 long years of waiting, of frustrations, of heartbreaks, of curses, of watching a World Cup on television feel like,' Alfaro said. 'I am not going to ask any Paraguayan to be rational. No, quite the contrary. We are prepared to fight. We are prepared to offer our hearts. We are prepared to leave our skin on the pitch. We are prepared to honor the memory of our past.'
It remains to be seen if Paraguay striker Julio Enciso will be available for the opener. The 22-year-old was taken from the field on a stretcher during the team's final warm-up against Nicaragua with hamstring and quad injuries.
--Field Level Media
